Clean drinking water is a higher priority for the Trump administration than climate change, according to Andrew Wheeler, the top US environment regulator, who called for scientific debate about the models used to assess global warming. In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Wheeler expressed concern that the focus on climate change and the need to limit warming were detrimental to other big environmental challenges, such as potable water and affordable electricity. “We cannot lose sight of the other environmental issues facing the world,” said Mr Wheeler, confirmed in March as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. “Water issues are the number one environment crisis.” Mr Wheeler, whose agency regulates US carbon dioxide emissions, said climate change was a “big priority” for the agency, and that the US should cut its CO2 emissions. A former coal lobbyist and prominent critic of green legislation, Mr Wheeler is trying to restore order at the EPA following a turbulent period under his predecessor Scott Pruitt, who was dogged by a series of ethics controversies. “We need to be decreasing our CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. “But we are not going to focus on that to the detriment of other environmental indicators.” To view the full article visit the Financial Times.
